


the way to a man's heart is through his stomach

by baekjuhos



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, jaeyoon is a food critic, juho is a pastry chef, re-uploaded because I can't come up with a better ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23252722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekjuhos/pseuds/baekjuhos
Summary: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - or maybe just don't lie
Relationships: Baek Juho | Zuho/Lee Jaeyoon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	the way to a man's heart is through his stomach

**Author's Note:**

> yeah I deleted it to write a better ending but I couldn't come up with one so...

Jaeyoon was anxious. He was pushing his hand through his hair for the unteempt time. Jaeyoon alternated between fixing his hair and tie, judging his appearance in front of the mirror until the doorbell rang at seven p.m. sharp. The young male made a beeline towards the door, straightening his blazer and hair one more time before he opened the door. 

Jaeyoon was mesmerized upon his gaze landing on the male in front of him, who was holding a little gift box with a clumsily tied bow around it. “I made you some of your favourite pastry.” Despite the shy smile, Juho didn’t break the eye contact. 

Juho gave him a tiny smile and handed him the box. It took Jaeyoon a good minute to snap out of his daze and accept the gift in embarrassment. Juho stole the older's breath, although he was wearing just a simple white button up shirt paired with a dark blazer and black pants. 

"Come in, I'll just" Jaeyoon cleared his throat "I'll just store it safely away." 

His living space was spacious, Jaeyoon knew. He saw Juho look around in awe, taking in every little detail of the apartment. Before he stored the package in his fridge, Jaeyoon peeked inside. It already smelled delicious and he recognized a tiny piece of his favourite cake. 

Juho had reserved them a table at one of the most popular and relatively fancy restaurants. Jaeyoon was baffled as to how the younger had managed to get them a table that fast, thinking about the amount of time he had to wait. Juho was focused on the road but often brushed his fingers gently against Jaeyoon’s hand. Though they had been on a few dates before, they were still shy about each other, especially after the awkward encounter with Juho’s friends. Not only he, but also Juho remembered it clearly- it was after Jaeyoon had taken Juho out for his birthday. Things had gotten quite heated, with Jaeyoon carrying the slightly taller, who had his long legs wrapped around his waist, towards the couch. All the while they were in the midst of a highly heated make out session. They hadn’t bothered turning on the light and Jaeyoon let himself fall down, back first, onto the sofa with Juho straddling him. Their moment was broken when Jaeyoon didn’t feel the soft cushion against his back but rather something boney. “Ouch, what the hell!” echoed through the dark room, making the two halt their actions. Jaeyoon had sat up as Juho kissed his way down his jaw to his neck, clearly back to ignoring that someone was present. Someone that wasn’t them.    
A few seconds later, the light was turned on, revealing the living room filled with Juho’s friends. Underneath Jaeyoon was lying his date’s roommate, tightly clutching a confetti gun. “Happy birthday, Juho.” He dryly said as Jaeyoon moved away in embarrassment. Juho had long dropped his head, flustered. 

Yes, neither of the two would ever forget. 

Juho was a skilled pastry chef. His long, thin fingers worked wonders and it baffled Jaeyoon how fast the young adult actually created his masterpieces. In his line of work, he had witnessed many chefs crumble under the pressure of time but Juho was different. It was like he blossomed under it. 

Jaeyoon had at first been interested in only the desserts Juho dished out daily. He had heard about a small bakery being filled to the brim lately because of a new addition to their team. It had been a while since Jaeyoon had actually rated said bakery’s products, so he took it upon himself to see what the hype was about. His name was pretty known internationally but he had never published a picture of himself next to his critics. Shortly after Jaeyoon had published his heartfelt review of Juho’s delicate and delicious desserts, business seemed to boom even more. 

Right now, Juho was looking for a parking spot and the older watched his profile. The tip of his tongue peeked out as he concentrated in maneuvering the car into the tiny lot he found and Jaeyoon couldn’t help but silently melt at the cuteness. Juho had just turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt when Jaeyoon pulled the young patissier by his collar. Juho, without even thinking, closed the small gap. The kiss made them both equally feel many things at once, though it was a rather short one. Warmth engulfed Juho, making him feel protected and appreciated. Jaeyoon moved to peck his nose and Juho managed to lure him for another sweet, slow kiss. Juho for sure would’ve loved to stay seated in the car, away from lingering gazes who started to recognize him. 

  
The restaurant was  _ packed _ . Juho pressed his side into Jaeyoon’s, gaining a sense of security by the other’s proximity. Once they were seated in a more private area and their orders had been taken, the young chef spoke up. “I got casted for a dessert competition show.” Juho quietly said while reaching for his glass. “That’s great! Isn’t it?” Jaeyoon leaned forward ever so slightly, intently listening to the blonde talk about how torn he was. “One part of me says, damn Juho, go and take that chance. The other just reminds me how much I don’t like being the center of attention.”    
Jaeyoon reached for Juho’s hand, gently stroking his thumb over the younger’s skin. “Besides, I’m not even sure my desserts are good enough. I don’t want to be the world’s laughing stock.” At that, Jaeyoon halted in his actions, completely flabbergasted. “Juho, you can’t be serious right now. People are waiting hours just to get any of your desserts. I’ve seen the line, even outside of rush hour it leaves the shop.” The dark haired raised his finger, effectively making Juho close his mouth. “Also, I know how great your work tastes. It’s the best I’ve ever eaten.” Upon hearing the compliment, Juho’s face reddened. “You should go for it.” This time, Jaeyoon squeezed Juho’s hand. The two simultaneously pulled their hand off the table once the waiter had come up with their orders, balancing the plates skillfully on his one arm. “Can I get you anything else, sir?” The waiter was expectantly looking between the two. “No, thank you.” 

Soon enough, they were left alone again. Juho listened to the older talk about what happened at his workplace. “And then he just went ahead and spread some rumour about that poor woman. It was just a terribly unfortunate coincidence that our boss had bought the car right after she sold it.” Jaeyoon took a sip of is wine, swirling the content of the glass gently as he savoured the taste of the liquid. “So your colleague is jealous of your other colleague and that’s why he spread a rumour of her sleeping with your boss?” Juho was confused. Not only by what the hell was happening at Jaeyoon’s work, considering he was working as a graphic designer, but also by the way his date was eating. 

He cut it into tiny bits, chewing it slowly, as if he was trying to pick each flavour and texture of the food into pieces. Whenever Jaeyoon switched from the steak to his vegetables to his wine- he always drank water in between. It was oddly satisfying to watch the older enjoy his meal to the fullest extent. Juho had been staring at him for a good five minutes without paying his meal any attention. Jaeyoon had just brought up a neatly cut piece of meat to his lips when he realised Juho was watching him. He blinked a couple of times, embarrassment flooding his entire body as Jaeyoon just let out a soft laugh. Juho went back to eating. Seconds later, Juho’s gaze was back on the older. This time though, he was rather focused on his counterparts full lips. Without a warning, he leaned forward and reached for Jaeyoon’s face, who in return panicked, considering they were in a stacked restaurant. “W-What are you doing Juho? We can’t just here-” The critic shut his mouth tightly, this time it was him who felt sheepish. Juho was dabbing his lips with a napkin. “You had some of the steak sauce smeared on your lips and it was threatening to drop and ruin your shirt.” Weirdly, both of their cheeks turned a slightly scarlet tone. 

Juho had taken Jaeyoon home after their dinner. This time, it was Jaeyoon’s turn to watch Juho again. Jaeyoon found it incredibly attractive whenever Juho was behind the wheel and maybe that was the reason why he let himself drive around by him. His own thoughts annoyed him, he hated how repetitive they got when it was about the younger but he couldn’t help it.    
Jaeyoon was damned if he didn’t ask the pastry chef out- he was beyond smitten for Juho. So that’s exactly what he did after he had asked Juho to stay the night. It wasn’t a surprise when the talented chef had said yes and pressed a gentle kiss onto Jaeyoon’s forehead. 

In the end, Juho had given in and was now a participant of an international dessert show. Jaeyoon thought his partner had very good chances of winning the price money and contract with one of the best pastry chefs, considering that most participants were hobby bakers. Jaeyoon was currently sitting in the kitchen Juho was working at, although it was far past closing hours. Juho was practicing for the competition and had been allowed to use the cafe’s kitchen since he needed more space. His own kitchen had been too small for it. 

Juho had tuned out his surroundings, completely lost in his own world while creating another piece of art. He was currently modelling chocolate into a shape Jaeyoon couldn’t quite make out yet. Juho’s apron was smeared with ganache, buttercream, flour- anything that could stick. His hands didn’t look any better; they were covered in chocolate and different shades of food colouring. 

“You have thirty minutes left.” Jaeyoon announced. He felt bad for pulling Juho out of his rhythm but both knew that it wouldn’t be any different at the competition. “Mhhm” the young male hummed, continuing his work without breaking his pace. He was starting to spray the sculpture with an airbrush in different shades of red. Juho started to assemble the last pieces, using tempered chocolate as glue. The sculpture was quite high and contained many thin pieces. Jaeyoon was worried that it would break apart. He held his breath when Juho placed the last part, a ball made of chocolate swirls, coloured in a golden shade, on top of the construct. Juho had slowly retreated his hands and stepped back, taking in his work. Just a few seconds later, the timer rang. Jaeyoon let out the breath he had been holding in and at the same time, he threw his arms around Juho’s neck in excitement. This was a personal record for the patissier. 

He had used a total of twenty kilogram of chocolate. It took him quite a bit to get the chocolate tempered the way he had wanted it and he had let out quite a few curses whenever one of the thinner pieces broke but he didn’t let it affect him. He had created a beautiful, shimmering chocolate statue. Swirls, which were starting thicker at the base and got thinner the higher they reached, held a thin plate of dark chocolate. They united at the top, resembling a roof. On top of the dark chocolate plate was sitting a patterned, golden ball. Roses and tulips made of chocolate were stuck to the base of the swirls. Juho had decorated the plate the sculpture was sitting on with different kind of edible flowers.

Juho couldn’t explain how happy he was. A giant smile broke out on his face and he let out a felicitous laugh, his eyes transforming into beautiful crescents which mirrored his happiness. He buried his face in the crook of Jaeyoon’s neck, tightly holding onto him. Jaeyoon tried to coax him into relaxing a little, mainly because he was craving to have his hair played with by the younger. Juho had other plans, though. The pastry chef went back to preparing another dessert, trying to be done under two hours. “Give me a topic, Jjaeng.” Said male thought about what the younger still could improve in. Jaeyoon already hated himself for even considering the dessert, because he really wanted to curl up with Juho and watch some movie or show. Instead, he blurted out “Croquembouche for valentines day.” The pastry chef stared at him in disbelief for a total of five seconds before he sighed, grunting out a “ _ Fine _ .” 

Juho straightaway went to prepare the profiteroles batter. It took Juho all his might not to throw it all away and give up, considering he had piped about two-hundred of the little balls within thirty minutes. His wrists were hurting so Juho kept flexing them in between piping. After exactly two hours, quite a few mental breakdowns and consoling by Jaeyoon, Juho had managed to put together a nearly ninety centimeter tall croquembouche tower. Before he had started assembling the profiteroles, he had prepared and cut red dyed isomalt into different sizes of hearts. At last, he drizzled caramelized sugar all over the tower, creating thin strands of the glazed sugar. It was a quite elegant, finishing touch. The red hearts were pressed against the upper part of the tower, basically sandwiching the profiteroles. 

That night, Juho had tightly curled up against Jaeyoon’s chest in content, falling asleep quicker than usual. 

Before Juho left, Jaeyoon had handed him a relatively small box. He had broken out in tears upon seeing a black apron with his name stitched in, a small, red heart next to it. On the loop was “I believe in you” stitched in Korean. He already had a hard time leaving Jaeyoon behind but after the gift, Juho didn’t want to leave at all. He had engulfed the perplexed and panicking Jaeyoon in a crushing hug. “Hey, hey Juho don’t cry. You’ll be back soon with the title of the best international dessert maker, okay?” Jaeyoon brushed the tears with his thumbs away, gently holding Juho’s face. The younger was pouting, clearly trying to stop crying. “This is so stupid. I don’t even know why I’m crying.” He exclaimed, another sob bubbling up. Jaeyoon laughed at that, silencing the sob with a soft kiss. “Go, before you miss your flight.” He didn’t give Juho time to answer and instead pushed him towards the passport control. Jaeyoon waved one last time as he watched Juho disappear in the crowd. 

It only dawned later on Jaeyoon that he’d have to confess to his partner about his actual job. He had forgotten about it, with the stress Juho had been putting himself through. Frankly spoken, Jaeyoon would’ve probably never gotten himself to revealing it. For one, he was worried about how Juho would perceive it, if he was to know that Jaeyoon had been pining after him for months by using the excuse to critique his work. The company Jaeyoon worked for had given him the task of being a guest juror for an international baking show. He was supposed to appear at the final episode. 

  
“I thought we had agreed to keep my face out of the spotlight?” Jaeyoon was confused. “Jaeyoon, one of the most famous critics, has been faceless for the past eight years. It’s about time people have a face to the name. Plus, they offered to let you work with the winner on a dessert book.” His boss’ statement further dazzled him. “I- I don’t even bake. Nor do I cook. I just taste what people put out-” Jaeyoon was cut off. “Exactly. Your name on the book will make everyone believe that the winner put out sweets that can’t be tasting bad.” 

He rolled his eyes. “I won’t let anyone put any recipes out unless I actually had a taste. My name is not up to be tainted just because you want to make money.” Jaeyoon got up. “I’m just doing this because the juror is my friend. Not because you want me to.”  _ Don’t forget, anyone would love to employ me _ . Jaeyoon didn’t speak it out yet it was like he had yelled it into the room. 

He'd moved past the open office, where he usually had his own cabin to type away. The TV was on and he saw the camera panning to Juho, so he took a few steps back to watch. Currently, Juho was plating his dessert up. He wasn't even halfway done but it already looked perfect. Jaeyoon hadn't watched his latest episode yet, but it looked like the water drop was made out of tempered sugar. Juho had cut out a tiny spot, where he placed a grid colored in rose gold. The grid carried the mousse cake covered spotlessly in purple mirror glaze. Next to it, Juho carefully placed a scoop of self made ice cream next to the cake. On the plate, which carried his piece of art, he scattered flowers around the drop. At last, he had prepared lemon juice. Jaeyoon surely had to watch it from the start during his break. He saw his co-worker turning to switch the channel but Jaeyoon practically jumped at him, snatching the remote out of the perplexed man’s hand. 

He turned the volume up without a single care about disturbing his colleagues. Juho was talking and he wanted to hear his voice. They were phoning every day, yes, but that didn’t mean Jaeyoon would pass up on the opportunity to listen to the soothing sound of his partner’s voice.    
“Juho, you always dish out the most extraordinary desserts. Where do you get your inspiration from?” The female juror asked. She had walked up to him, watching how Juho plated his creation. Jaeyoon melted at the soft laugh the chef let out at the question. His bangs were sticking to his forehead and Jaeyoon could tell just how strained Juho was. “Well actually, this dessert is inspired by my partner.” The juror let out an “oh” in surprise. “Is she pretty like the flowers?”    
Juho didn’t let himself get distracted. “My partner smells fresh like flowers and has many layers, which are hidden behind a mask only the public is shown. Only under specific circumstances the mask falls.” Jaeyoon’s entire face turned a deep red at Juho’s explanation. “Well then, I hope this tastes as good as it looks.” 

Juho just smiled at that, trying to keep his sticky bangs out of his eyes. Oh how Jaeyoon would’ve loved to just hold him tight and pepper him with kisses. 

Jaeyoon found out later that the jurors had absolutely adored Juho’s dessert and it’d be a lie if Jaeyoon said he was surprised. As the older had rewatched the episode in peace, he had seen how neat Juho’s layers had been compared to some other contestants. Juho had won dessert of the day for the third time in a row. 

The final was coming closer and Juho was pretty popular- not only with the jurors but also the viewers. He received tons of letters sent in by, it felt weird for him to say it out loud, his fans. The past weeks had been terribly stressful and the competition had gotten harder each time. He felt like he wasn’t living up to the expectations. Out of frustration, he had gotten his hair bleached and dyed and cut. He was now blonde with the tip of his hair dyed into a purplish blue. Juho pursed his lips as he tried to come up with a dessert for the semi final. They had to create something that symbolised luxury. It was like he had a blackout, Juho just couldn’t focus on his notebook. 

He was getting stressed again, so he pulled out his phone in an attempt to distract himself. Whenever his phone screen lit up and Juho saw the picture the two had taken on their anniversary, a smile creeped up his face. He stared at the picture for another minute before he searched for Jaeyoon’s number and dialed it. After what felt like hours, he finally picked up. “Ah, good morning beautiful.” He croaked out, evidently Juho had woken him up. He still wasn’t used to the time difference. “Good morning Jjaeng.” He couldn’t help but smile to himself, imagining how adorable Jaeyoon must be looking about right then. Still closed eyes, probably pouting and disheveled, brown locks. There was rustling, probably caused by the blanket around the older, heard. “Sorry for waking you up.” It was silent for a moment with Jaeyoon’s still sleepy mind trying to process what Juho had said. “No don’t be. I miss you” He said, right before letting out a yawn. Oh how he’d be giving everything to pinch those cute, chubby cheeks right now. “I miss you too. Jaeyoon, I have a question.”    
  
More rustling was heard as Jaeyoon tried to find a comfortable position, just enough so he wouldn’t get frustrated but not too comfortable as to not fall asleep again. He let out a sleepy “Go ahead.”    
Juho had turned to lie on his stomach, already connecting his headphones to the phone with the notebook spread in front of him. “I’m just really stuck. I can’t come up with a pastry for next week’s theme.” Jaeyoon perked up at that. Juho usually didn’t need much time to create something unique. “What’s the topic?”    
He heard Juho let out a deep, troubled sigh. “Something luxurious. What am I supposed to make out of this, Jaeyoon?” Juho let out a huff. “Anything I can think of is so damn basic, I will probably get cut.” 

Jaeyoon was shocked that Juho would even think that way. So far, he had dished out the most extravagant and extraordinary desserts the competition had seen the past decade. “Let me be the judge of it. What did you think of?” 

Juho tapped his pen against the paper. “At first, I thought I’d make chocolate mousse cake with a dark mirror glaze, hazelnut crunch and a cremé brulee insert, a macron dipped into beaten gold and a thin, tempered chocolate ring as a topping.” So far, Jaeyoon liked what he heard. The cremé brulee would definitely be a game changer. “But then again, I’m sure the others will do something similar. So I thought I’d make an entirely edible ring box. The box out of dark, tempered chocolate, the cushion of a red velvet sponge cake. Not sure about how to do the ring, though. I did think of using yuuzu for the flavour and just glucose syrup and sugar to make the stone. I don’t know if the yuuzu fits...Maybe also the ring- I could make it out of peach flavoured pastry, spray painted in gold?” Jaeyoon could make out the uncertainty. “I think both ideas are great-” Juho cut him off by mumbling “Of course you do, you’re my boyfriend.” Jaeyoon skillfully ignored the comment. “I’d go with the ring box. I’m sure they won’t expect it. You could also decorate the box, you’re skilled with chocolate.” 

Juho started sketching his dessert. “Maybe you could make the ring lemon and the stones peach flavoured.” Jaeyoon added. “Oh, yes I like this.” Juho breathed out in excitement. “Thank you.” 

While Juho was drawing and writing away in his notebook, he listened to Jaeyoon talk. At some point, the line had turned quiet. Jaeyoon had started working on a critique he had to hand in before he set out on his journey. Neither minded the call still going on, drawing comfort from the silent breathing of each. 

Juho grew anxious. Upon hearing what his fellow competitors were going to dish out, he felt like he was doing too little. He had started by melting and tempering quite a large amount of chocolate. Juho thinly spread it onto non sticky foil, letting it set on one of the counters he didn’t need. While the chocolate was setting, he moved on to mixing the batter for his red velvet sponge cake. He pushed the tray carrying his sponge cake into the oven and went straight to knead the dough for the ring. At the same time, he added the sugar to the glucose syrup and let it boil up to 300 Fahrenheit, keeping his eyes on the thermometer. As soon as he was satisfied with the base for his ring’s stones, he added a few drops of fresh juice he squeezed out from a lemon. After pouring the liquid into a mold with a few, tiny diamond shapes, Juho set it aside. He moved to quickly pull his sponge cake out and push the tray with the thinly rolled out dough in, touching it to check if the cake was still raw. To be sure, he poked the cake with a fork. 

Juho continued by carefully cutting out the shapes in the right sizes. He at first just scratched it lightly and cut through the thin chocolate once he was satisfied with it. For the first time, he sensed the eyes of the jurors as well as the audience on him. It took just one second of precariousness for the entire construct of his box to fall apart. He had used a little too much force to stick the bottom of the box together. He heard the onlookers let out a gasp as Juho just stared at the broken pieces of chocolate in his hands. Though he still had enough set chocolate ready, he didn’t have much time to assemble them. Before he went back to cutting out new shapes, he went to pull the dough out and let it cool next to the mold. 

Juho was slowly losing his composure, though he still pulled himself together. 

For the second attempt, it went by more smoothly. He used a steropore piece, where he had pushed in a stick to keep the lid of the box open. With the tempered chocolate he had left, Juho glued the lid to the box and tested its function. 

“Only ten minutes left!” Juho cursed under his breath. He never had taken so long to finish a dessert like this. Having to do it twice had thrown him far behind. 

Juho cut the cake into a rectangular shape and pushed it gently into the box, simultaneously cutting out a whole to fit in the ring. He spray painted the dough he had cut into the size of an actual ring, glueing the sugar diamonds all around it. He then placed the ring into the cut out, rectangular hole.    
While the jurors and audience counted down backwards from ten, Juho added the last few details to his box and plate. Once the alarm blared, he stepped away and threw his hands onto his head, taking in his creation. It looked great, yes, but he wasn’t satisfied with the plating. Juho let out a disappointed sigh, wiping his hands clean with his apron. 

He was the last to bring his dessert forward. One of the semi finalists had plated up three chocolate rings stacked up on top of each other, a chocolate plate underneath them. She had placed it onto a dessert glass, which contained ganache swirled around, creating wavern patterns across the glass. hanging down from the chocolate disk was a white praline. Juho was in awe. Compared to her’s, his dessert looked like a toddler came up with it. 

Nonetheless, he placed his plate carefully in front of the two jurors. They exchanged looks before they took in the closed box. Juho stepped back, anxiously fiddling with his fingers. One of the jurors opened the box and yet again, they looked at each other for a few seconds. Juho really couldn’t read what they were thinking. They silently tasted the cake and ring, breaking the chocolate lid by hitting it with the back of their spoon. Immediately, it cracked and fell apart. 

Juho was intently watching them. It took a load off his mind as soon as they let out a “This was such a clever dessert. Everything was just top notch- the flavour combination to the execution. Flawless.”

Juho had been the contestant to qualify himself for the final right away. 

Juho’s mind had been restless. Jaeyoon hadn’t called him back nor had he picked up the day before the final. Juho really wanted to hear the older’s soothing voice, especially after hearing that there’d be a guest juror who had exquisite taste. They’d have to prepare two dishes, for the first they had just three, for the second four hours. His first dessert, Juho had decided, would be Jaeyoon’s favourite. The other would be a cake he had never gotten to bake before. 

An orange flavoured sponge cake, glazed with white chocolate colored with red food dye. Once the sphere was cut in half, it revealed multiple layers containing caramel mousse, lemon compound, jam, gingerbread, lemon-apricot cremeux and spiced biscuits. They were evenly lined up and had a clean change to each. The sphere was sprinkled with biscuit crumbs dyed with red food coloring as well. He had made arches out of chocolate, which he dipped into the same mirror glaze. Juho assembled them all around, creating something similar to a cage. The cream, which functioned as a glue between the cake and biscuit underneath, also held the arches in place. 

So yes, Juho was sure he’d manage to put out his dessert in time. Halfway through, it was announced that their guest would appear right then. The two contestants froze in place upon the juror’s name being revealed, unable to continue their work. Juho had just started making the compound when he saw who walked through the double door towards the judges. His mouth fell open in shock and all the strength had left his hands, the compound he was mixing had fallen onto the floor with a loud sound. Juho couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed them, once, twice and a third time, just to be sure he wasn’t seeing things.

_ His  _ Jaeyoon was  _ the  _ infamous, brutally honest, reviewer of not only meals but also desserts?  _ His  _ Jaeyoon, who had claimed to be a graphic designer? He knew all eyes were on him but he couldn’t move. Jaeyoon was avoiding his eyes at all cost. Juho snapped out of it when he heard his opponent’s blender whirl loudly. He quickly picked up the pot that had fallen down and silently cursed that he would have to redo it. 

From then on, everything went downhill. He had hurt himself during the process of boiling the ingredients for his glaze. He was sure he had messed up the last layer and he had broken one of the arches while putting his dessert together. Juho was restlessly fiddling around, completely having lost control of himself. His mind was racing, trying to understand why Jaeyoon had lied to him for so long. 

The thought of not having deserved his spot in the final planted itself, burning, into his mind. If Jaeyoon was good friends with the jurors, he might as well have forced them to let Juho get this far. 

Both had brought their desserts forward and the jurors immediately started by tasting them, trying to make out the flavours that were used. Juho was bummed when the woman he competed against had gotten quite positive feedback. “It’s a nice looking dish. But it’s lacking flavour. The ones you used didn’t go well with each other, completely cancelling out one another. Other than that, it was good. The layering was nearly perfect and the plating is good.” Jaeyoon said, earning nods from the two judges. 

Juho was staring at Jaeyoon with unreadable eyes. He didn’t notice the way his dessert was mustered nor did he notice how they had started to cut it into three pieces. Only as Jaeyoon had taken a spoonful to his mouth did he snap back into reality. He saw disappointment flicker briefly in his partner’s eyes as Jaeyoon let the pastry melt on his tongue.    
“Juho, it’s the first time we saw you struggling here. I must say-” the woman was cut off by the famous pastry chef. “This is the worst you’ve dished out so far. It’s still better than what most other contestants brought up but for your standard? A new low. The flavour was off, the mousse was too runny and your presentation was lacking the creativity expected for a final.” 

Juho was absolutely crushed. His eyes wandered to the voice he had missed. “I’m not sure what you were thinking when you put it out but this is probably one of the worst desserts I had the misfortune of tasting.” 

He knew, he knew Jaeyoon was saying this because it was his image but Juho couldn’t help the tears spilling out uncontrollably. He barely registered the audience, which apparently was filled with his supporters, let out disapproving sounds at Jaeyoon’s comment. Juho pressed the back of his hands against his eyes, completely crumbling in front of the camera for the entire world to see. He was embarrassed but he couldn’t stop it- the past weeks had been stressful, Juho had barely slept and kept pushing himself over the maximum. And when he saw Jaeyoon walk through the door, his heart dropped. He felt betrayed, he felt played with. Juho was hurt. 

Jaeyoon had a hard time keeping himself from running up to the younger and to just hold him tightly, tell him that he didn’t mean it, that everything he baked was perfect- because he was perfect. Jaeyoon wanted to apologize, wanted to beg him for forgiveness. He saw, Jaeyoon saw, the betrayal in Juho’s eyes the second he walked in. He felt Juho’s heart break the second he had pieced everything together. Jaeyoon couldn’t blame the younger if he decided to never forgive him again. The young pastry chef was standing at his station, pouring batter into nearly fifteen, different sized cake tins. 

This time, Juho was avoiding Jaeyoon’s eyes. Quite a bit had passed and the clock showed that only an hour was left. Juho was currently putting his cakes together. The lower layer of cakes were put together to form a flower. Juho had stuck the remaining five cakes on top of each other with cream. He was currently creating multiple flowers held in red to purple tones, some of them in blue. His fingers were working quickly, though Jaeyoon could make out how they trembled. Guilt suffocated him. 

Jaeyoon made his way towards Juho at the same time his juror friend went to the woman working on her creation. Juho had seen Jaeyoon approach him but he pretended to not have noticed. He knew that Jaeyoon knew that he had indeed seen him, yet he didn’t pay any attention to the male. “What are you creating?” Jaeyoon asked. He was standing behind the younger, who was crouched forward like he was about to lay his torso onto the counter. Juho didn’t answer at first, as he was trying to get the flower look realistic. “A wedding cake.” 

Jaeyoon leaned in, now almost resting his chest against Juho’s back. “I’m sorry, Juho. I didn’t mean it-”    
The older heard how Juho gritted his teeth. In anger, Juho had squashed the flower he had been working on the past fifteen minutes. He still didn’t say anything as he threw the ruined flower away and started from scratch. Jaeyoon straightened up, letting his hand rub one circle in apology on his partner’s back without attracting attention. None of them saw the hot tears spilling out, again. Juho, and probably the audience as well, blamed it on the stress. 

Juho had brought up his second dessert. It was approximately one meter tall and completely covered the tall male. He took slow steps towards the jurors. He had underestimated how heavy the cake would turn out to be. 

The cake was held in a simple white tone but the flowers, made out of fondant, chocolate and colored dough, made it look sophisticated. Juho had covered the top cake with the flowers, as if a bouquet was sitting on top. They fell from there on each side down like a waterfall, landing between the crannies of the base part on the cardboard base the cake was sticked on. 

Jaeyoon was in awe. He had never seen Juho bake a cake to that extent. They didn’t know where to start cutting. 

He had baked a mint-chocolate flavoured sponge cake with lemon ganache. The way he had incorporated the flavours was astonishing, considering that Jaeyoon had rarely seen a combination like the ones presented. Clearly, Jaeyoon was the only one thinking that way. The jurors had picked Juho apart for using lemon as an icing. 

Juho had lost. He had come in second after completely butchering the final. Although Juho had been the favourite the entire competition over, he had lost. Lost because he couldn’t keep his emotions at bay. He lost because he did a rookie mistake of not staying calm. 

Funny enough, him and Jaeyoon were seated next to each other on the plane. Juho had avoided the older like the plague. He didn’t return Jaeyoon’s calls or messages. He turned around and went the other way upon spotting the older. Jaeyoon, on the other hand, knew he had to give Juho time, but he couldn’t handle the way he was ignored. 

Juho hadn’t talked to the other since the final. His initial anger had dissolved, replaced by sadness and disappointment. During their long plane ride, Jaeyoon realised he rather would want the young male to be angry than see the sad look in his eyes. 

It had been barely three days since Juho had started the silent treatment but the critic couldn’t take it anymore. “Juho, please. Say something, anything. Be angry, yell at me but don’t- please don’t just be quiet. Please.” Jaeyoon had cupped his face, gently forcing Juho to look at him. He searched the chef’s face, eyes, and whatever he looked for, he didn’t find it. The pained look in his lover’s orbs broke the older. “Why, Jaeyoon?” It was barely audible and Jaeyoon winced at the agonized tone. Juho shook off the older’s hands from his face, going back to poking around his food, pushing it from one side to another on the tiny plate.    
He saw how Juho had sucked in his bottom lip in an attempt to not start crying again. Jaeyoon was unable to cope with Juho silently suffering because of him. He had withdrawn and isolated himself more and more. “I really thought I got casted because they liked my work.” Jaeyoon was bewildered. _ Of course you were casted because of your talent _ , he wanted to say but Juho continued talking quietly. “I really thought I made it into the final on my own. Really thought they saw a future in me.” The tiny, sad laugh shattered Jaeyoon even more. His own face was pulled into a mask of pain. “Turns out I just took someone’s spot who was more deserving because I was with the most famous food reviewer around the globe.” The sad smile was replaced by a bitter smirk. Juho really thought that Jaeyoon had bribed the jurors; or anyone who was involved in the production of the competition for that matter. The rest of the flight was spent in silence. Juho hadn’t given Jaeyoon a chance to reply, to explain as he pushed his headphones into his ears and turned his music up loudly, turning away from the other. Jaeyoon just watched him with tears in his eyes. 

Clearly, the world had not been prepared for Jaeyoon to be as young as he was. Usually, the respected critics were twice his age. The second he had stepped out into the terminal, he was swarmed by reporters. Juho had taken that chance to slip away without anyone noticing him; nor giving Jaeyoon the chance of holding him back. It didn’t stop Jaeyoon to crane his neck in every direction possible to find Juho in the crowd. He didn’t find him.

Months had passed without any kind of contact. Jaeyoon had given Juho the space he needed. He still went by the bakery he worked at, yet he never went inside. He stopped by the window, watching Juho’s figure for hours before he left without buying anything. Juho had lost quite a bit of weight, not that Jaeyoon had been able to hold his own. The abstinence of Juho made itself quite noticeable. 

Jaeyoon had been pushed to do multiple interviews and received requests to collaborate for cookbooks on a daily basis. 

Winter had come around and it was freezing outside. Jaeyoon was packed up in a thick coat with his hands hidden in the pockets. Jaeyoon nuzzled his nose into his scarf in an attempt to keep it warm. He passed by the small bakery, as always, and came to a halt to peek inside. His heart sank when he didn’t see Juho stand behind the counter handing out desserts in his adorable apron. 

He was harshly pulled out of his thoughts by a confused voice. A voice he had yearned to hear for the past months. “Jaeyoon? What are you doing here?”    
Juho was standing there, wearing nothing but his clothes and an apron. Not any apron but the one Jaeyoon had gifted him. He was carrying quite a few bags filled to the brim with ingredients for the shop. The tip of his nose was red and it looked like his fingers were dead because of the cold. “Juho, why aren’t you wearing a jacket? It’s freezing.” Without hesitation, he pulled off his scarf and wrapped it tightly around Juho’s neck. The younger was perplexed and didn’t fight it in his state of shock when Jaeyoon took the bags out of his hands. He opened the door of the shop with his elbow, gesturing Juho to go in. 

“You’ll get sick if you go out wearing nothing but thin clothes.” Jaeyoon followed him inside, setting the bags down near the counter. Juho cleared his throat, gesturing Jaeyoon to sit. “Do you want to drink something?” The older shook his head. “No.” After that, awkward silence settled over them.

The shop was surprisingly empty. Not a single customer was seen. 

Jaeyoon broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for lying to you Juho.” He saw something flicker in the younger’s eyes. “Please hear me out. I’ll leave afterwards. Not going to bother you. I just- I just want you to hear me out.” 

Juho didn’t move from where he was standing, tightly clasping his wrist with his hand. 

“I- At first, I came to test and rate your pastry. This bakery was never really in the spotlight until you started working here. Suddenly, this place turned into a hotspot in the blink of an eye. So...yeah. I came to try your sweets. Juho, everything I wrote in the column is true. You’re by far the most talented pastry chef I’ve came across.” Juho’s face was red. Jaeyoon didn’t know if it was because of the cold weather or because of what he said. “Usually, I don’t come back to a shop I reviewed. But I couldn’t stop myself. You were, still are, so cute when you bake in front of the customers. The way you handle even the rudest is just- it just-” Jaeyoon shook his head. He was starting to ramble idiotic things. “I fell for you just by watching you create magic. And I didn’t want to destroy it. Juho, would you really have treated me the same if I had told you about my actual profession?” Juho’s silence was enough of an answer. He saw guilt flare up in his lover’s eyes. “No, Juho. I didn’t ask you because I wanted you to feel guilty. I should’ve been honest from the start but I was just scared. I should’ve told you before I walked through that door. You should’ve won, but because of my selfishness you didn't. And I’m sorry. No matter how much I apologize, it won't make it better, I know that.” Jaeyoon got up from where he was standing, taking timid steps towards Juho. “I really want you to know that what I said wasn’t true, at the final. It still tasted good. Really good. You got casted because of what you create, Juho. You got into the final because of how damn tasty everything you make is. I didn’t bribe anyone.” Juho’s bottom lip was quivering, he was trying to keep the tears in. “Juho, the past months have been hell for me. Probably not as bad as for you but I missed you. I still miss you. I miss your warmth. I miss waking up next to you. I just love you.”    
Juho looked away, biting his lips hard. Within seconds, the protective walls had crumbled and Juho had thrown himself at Jaeyoon, taking him by surprise. Immediately, Jaeyoon reciprocated the embrace and tightly clung to the younger. He hid his face in the crook of Juho’s neck, pressing a gentle kiss against the skin. “Just don’t lie to me again.” Juho whispered against his shoulder. Jaeyoon just nodded his head. He didn’t know how he deserved a kind hearted man like Juho, he really didn’t. 

  
  


Juho had woken Jaeyoon up with a kiss against his cheek. It was Juho’s day off and he had stayed over in Jaeyoon’ apartment. The older automatically pulled Juho closer, stealing multiple kisses from him. “Come on, breakfast is ready. We got a long day ahead.” He felt the younger smile against his lips. Juho had been right. The day was long. Somehow he had managed to coax Jaeyoon into helping him with baking about seven hundred macarons in different colours and flavours. 

At some point, Jaeyoon started to play around by smearing some of the batter onto Juho’s nose or cheek. He earned a loud laugh, broken shortly by a snort and then followed by another laughing fit. Jaeyoon felt like he had earned the most valuable reward by making the younger laugh. Juho leaned in for a silken, short kiss before he went back to piping another tray of macarons. Jaeyoon watched him in awe. Juho piped one tray with approximately twenty discs in less than thirty seconds. Jaeyoon, on the other hand, struggled to fill one row in five  _ minutes _ . Juho watched him in amusement until he couldn’t endure it anymore. He walked behind Jaeyoon, snaking his arms from behind the older. He put his hands onto Jaeyoon’s, guiding him gently on how to hold the piping bag the right way. “Try not to hold it at the bottom, but rather at the middle. And then you just guide it right above the spot.” Juho gently lead his partner’s hands, pressing his torso unconsciously against Jaeyoon’s back.    
Jaeyoon leaned back into Juho’s chest, letting the other do the piping as he scattered light kisses over his neck and jaw. Juho let out a tinkling giggle at that. “Here, now continue.” Juho pushed the piping bag back into Jaeyoon’s hands, smirking at the displeased sound the older let out when Juho stepped away and Jaeyoon’s lips hit nothing but air. “You’re so mean.” Jaeyoon whined. “No, we just have to be done with this by this evening.” 

The older pouted as he went back to piping. Juho just smiled, shaking his head as he pulled out the next batch of the macarons. “Hey, Jaeyoon.”    
Said male looked up, his eyebrows were still drawn together in concentration. Juho leaned closer, puckering his lips. Jaeyoon, without really thinking, leaned in and pecked them. The younger kept him close, not giving the critic a chance to break away. Jaeyoon immediately dropped the bag, closing his eyes in content as he wrapped his arms around Juho, who copied his moves. Instead of keeping his arms around the older’s neck, he aimed to cup Jaeyoon’s face gently, savouring the sweet yet suave kiss.    
“I love you too.” Juho whispered against the dark haired male’s plump lips while resting his forehead against Jaeyoon’s, drawing out a dimpled smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> hope it was okay and not too bad
> 
> I know nothing about baking other than what I saw on zumbos just desserts


End file.
